Another reason why I love the Bay Area so much! We have the coolest futon store ever! Mary’s Futon is hosting a comedy show in her store! You actually get to sit on the futons while you watch comedy. I’ve been before and it’s a great show! This time one of my favorite comedians, Julie Goldman will be there!

The show is on Sunday, June 13th, 2010. Doors open at 6:30pm.

More info here: http://marysfutons.com/Futon_Comedy_94903.html

All Beverage proceeds benefit Spectrum LGBT Center of Marin
Join us for our no-host bar before the show,
And help us celebrate Paula Pilecki’s Birthay!

*warning strong language in video

The wonderfully funny Kate Clinton is coming to Marin! Kate is hilarious. I saw her perform a few years ago. I know the tickets are selling fast so I wanted to get this up before they run out.

This show is a benefit for Spectrum LGBT Center in Marin for their Youth Leadership Action Program. The Youth Leadership Action Program trains youth to be leaders to make their schools safe and inclusive learning places for all.

The performance is on May 2nd at 6pm at the Osher Marin JCC.

To purchase tickets go to: http://spectrumlgbtcenter.org/Kate-Clinton.html

Listen to Kate talk about her upcoming performance at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael on Sunday, May 2nd.

Tickets: www.spectrumLGBTcenter.org
(Kate said .com she meant .org) 

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Happy New Year!

Today is 01.02.2010 which is a palindrome. I thought this would be a great day to review the past year. Sally Around The Bay is less than a year old. I had the idea of starting this blog floating around in my head for awhile, but I did not start working on it until the beginning of last year. I think it was right around New Year’s last year when the name finally came to me. I remembered that my name, Sally was actually a word in the English dictionary meaning to go out on a venture or an excursion (usually off the beaten path).

Last year around this time I was feeling a little burned out and decided I needed to do something to motivate myself to get out of the house and try new things. I know when I travel I like to find the “local” spots to try rather than the typical overpriced tourist traps so I figured people might be interested in reading about the various local gems I found. I was right. Since I started this blog back in April I have had so much support and encouragement and have made a lot of new friends. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blog over the past year.

I was just reviewing my blog posts thinking about 2009. I’m so thankful I started this blog. I have met some of the most amazing people because of it. I have also discovered some pretty awesome restaurants and businesses around the bay area.

I think the blog experience that I personally got the most out of was the visit to the farm in Petaluma. I got to meet Tara Smith who I found incredibly inspirational. I met Tara thanks to Peggy (my Twitter friend turned real friend) mentioning the farm on Twitter. View photos of the farm visit here.

Another fun experience was visiting Mrs. Grossman’s sticker factory. When I saw Mrs. Grossman on Twitter my brain went on fast forward down memory lane. I was so happy when they invited me to come in for a tour.

My blog inspired me to be bold, to try new things. As many of you know I did a big bold move when I wrote the open letter to MiniSF telling them about my Big Mini Dream. That was fun. I did not get my Mini (yet) I’m still hoping… but I did have a ton of fun with it and did catch their attention. Thank you to each of you that supported my Big Mini Dream. I was amazed at all the support I got. You people are awesome!

I got a new hat to help save a home.

Thanks to my blog I got out of my comfort zone and tried new shops and restaurants.
Some of my favorites were:

Coast Café in Bolinas.

Naan ‘N’ Curry in San Francisco

Toronado & Rosamunde Sausage Grill in San Francisco

The Whipper Snapper in San Rafael

Peju Winery in Napa

Also learned I like more than one Sushi restaurant in the Bay Area and that Thai food makes me smile.  I think I discovered the best Chinese food in the Bay Area. Oh and I almost forgot the best Dim Sum in San Francisco!

Discovered Fourth Street in Berkeley.

Shopping at Gioia in San Anselmo.

Met a super cool relationship expert and the bloggers at MoreMarin. I also met Lissa Rankin from Owning Pink.

Thanks to my blog, I got interviewed on the BlogHer show The Juice and was mentioned on the Miniology radio show. Also something exciting to me was I got sponsors for my blog (check out the upper right column —> and be sure to click on them. Thanks!)

I can’t forget Mill Valley on Tuesday Nights or Marilyn, the fun master.  I met Marilyn earlier this year, she always reminds me to have fun. I also met ATOMsanRafael who are super nice people that fixed one of my broken appliances.

My fondest memories from 2009 are the TweetUps and the wonderful people I met at the TweetUps especially Diane Fischler and Ken Underscore.

Twitter is Magical
Awesome Marin TweetUp

Stay tuned for future TweetUps in Marin! Working on one for February. (Still looking for a restaurant in Novato to volunteer). Moylan’s – hint hint.

Happy New Year!

I look forward to another year of blogging.

Probably everyone who steps in to Peju Winery and is fortunate enough to get Alan Arnapole as their pourer thinks they have stumbled upon one of the best kept secrets of the Napa Valley. I know I did. Tasting wine with Alan Arnapole as your host is a new and exciting experience in wine tasting.

Peju Winery was the last winery we visited on Sunday. So, I’d already had a day full of this wine is blah, blah, blah with a nutty, floral, fruity, dry, smooth, distinct, oakey, heavy, fresh, light, dense, muted, gentle taste with a hint of blah, blah, blah. I was just going with the flow of wherever my friends took me and enjoying the beautiful scenery and the pleasant tasting wines but I pretty much tuned out what the people were saying about the wine.

Peju Gift Shop

When we entered Peju Winery we were greeted and escorted to a tasting counter. I saw a white guy in a tie. I was ready for more blah, blah, blah when suddenly this guy broke out in a rap song about the wine, then continued with some hip hop, yodeling and a bit of opera and some random jokes. This guy is Alan Arnapole and he is hilarious and talented. He had the four of us cracking up and looking around at each other in a sort of disbelief thinking is this guy for real? He was, and he kept going. We stayed and tasted all that he had to offer. We also left with a few bottles of very nice wine in hand.

I was so impressed with Alan that I went home and did a little research on him. Turns out we’re not the first people to discover him. He has been featured in guide books, has been on travel shows, and was recently featured in the Napa Valley Register.  Alan even has CDs where he tells the story of Napa Valley with his singing.

You can listen to samples of Alan’s yodeling here.

Peju winery is beautiful and Alan Arnapole is a breath of fresh air in this sometimes stuffy culture of wine connoisseurs.

I found this YouTube video of Alan doing his thing.

Fun things to do in the Bay Area this weekend. Are you trying to think of fun things to do with your family that is in town? Has your family already seen all the usual San Francisco tourist stops? Fisherman’s Wharf,  shopping on Pier 39,  the famous curvy Lombard Street and Ghirardelli Square? If so, here are some new ideas to entertain your out of town guests over the holiday season. Have fun!

1. Take ferry to San Francisco and walk around the ferry building and then go ice skating in the Embarcadero (during the holiday season).
2. Walk around Tiburon.
3. Take a ferry to Angel Island and go for a hike.
4. Go shopping on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
5. Visit the Camera Obscura in San Francisco. (The giant camera)
6. Walk around Chinatown, be adventurous and try some Dim Sum.
7. Visit a farm in Petaluma! Learn about where your food comes from.
8. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
9. Go to Golden Gate Park Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens, Conservatory of Flowers and so much more.
10. After Golden Gate Park you can walk around Haight Street and see the famous Haight/Ashbury neighborhood.
11. Go for a Mountain Bike ride in Marin County
12. Tuesday Night Comedy Night in Mill Valley with Mark Pitta.
13. Take a drive to Stinson Beach and keep driving to find the secret town of Bolinas.
14. Go wine tasting in Napa and then try some delicious vegetarian food.

Happy Holidays!

If you have any suggestions for fun and unique things I didn’t list here please leave a comment letting us know.

I know I’ve already blogged about comedy night but I’m going again tonight so I figured why not blog about it again?

I know I probably should get out of Mill Valley more often. I realize I’ve been spending a lot of time here. I guess that means I live in a really cool place.

If you live in the Bay Area or are visiting you have got to go at least once to Comedy with Mark Pitta and Friends on Tuesday nights in Mill Valley. Doors open at 7:30pm, comedy show starts at 8:00pm. You can purchase snacks and beverages (including wine, beer and champagne).

Tuesday Night Comedy Night with Mark Pitta and friends is at 142Throckmorton Theatre in downtown Mill Valley. The name is the address so it’s pretty easy to find.